Acetylene-gas generator.



No. 700,908. Patented May 27, i902.

A. C. EINSTEIN.

ACETYLENE GAS GENERATOR.

(Application filed June 6, 1901.)

(No Model.)

ATENT QFFICE.

ALFRED C. EINSTEIN, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

ACETYLENE GAS GENERATOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 700,908, dated May 27, 1902; Application filed June 5, 1901. Serial No. 63,176. (No model.)

To all 1077,0727, 2125 may concern:

Be it known that I, ALFRED C. EINSTEIN, a citizen of the United States, residing in the city of St. Louis, in the State of Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Acetylene-Gas Generators, of which the following is a full, clear, andexact description, reference being'had to th'e'accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification.

My invention relates to an acetylene-gasgenerating apparatus wherein the carbidfeed valve is controlled byawater-seal member or valve located in the gasometer of the apparatus, whereby the delivery of carbid into the generating-chamber of theapparatus may be at all times effectually governed by the amount of gas delivered to and present in the gasometer and actuation of said waterseal member or valve consequent to the rise and fall of the gasometer-bell.

My invention consists in features of novelty hereinafter fully described, and pointed out in the claims. I

Figure I is a view in vertical section taken centrally through the apparatus. Fig. II is a horizontal sectional view taken on line II II, Fig. I. Fig. III is an enlarged perspective view of the carbid-feed valve. Fig. IV is an enlarged detail view taken in cross-section on the line IV IV, Fig. I, through the feed-valve rod and showing thereon a'removable clip by which the valve-rod is held during the period of charging the carbid-holder.

1 designates a generator-tank containinga gas-chamber 2 and having a neck 3.

4 is a carbid-holder that surmounts the neck of the tank 1 and is provided with an inlet closed by a cap 5.

6 designates the carbid-feed valve, which, as herein shown, is of swinging form, though any other construction of valve may be utilized without departing from my invention.

7 is a stop that limits the movement of the valve 6, and 8 is a ledge that extends over the valveand serves as a shield to prevent water of condensation from dripping into the valve and mixing with the carbid resting therein. The valve 6 has connected to it a crank-arm 9, that receives the connection of a reciprocating valve-rod 10, which is joined to a diaphragm 11, mounted in a housing 12. The valve-rod 10 projects through the housing 12 and is provided witha handle 13. Surrounding the valve-rod between the outer wall of'the housing 12 and the diaphragm 11 is an expansion-spring 14, that acts against said diaphragm and exerts longitudinal thrust upon the valve-rod 10 to move the feed-valve 6 and permit the deposit of carbid from the carbid-holder 4 into the generating-chamber 2 when suificient pressure of gas is not exerted against the diaphragm 11 to hold the feed-valve in closed position and prevent deposit of carbid. The diaphragm-housing 12 is provided with communication with the generating-chamber 2 through a duct 15, through which gas enters from the generating-chamber to the diaphragm-housing to act against the diaphragm 11.

16 designates a pipe leading from the generator-tank 1 to the lower end of a gasometertank 17, the said pipe providing communica tioufrom the generating-chamber 2 to a lower water-compartment 18 in said gasometer-tank. The upper part of the gasometer-tank contains a water-well 19, that is separated from the compartment 18 by a cross-partition 20. In the compartment 18 is a vertical partition 21, that extends from the cross-partition 20 to a point near the bottom of said compartment by leaving a space between the lower end of the partition and the bottom of the tank.

22 designates a water-seal bell loosely positioned in the well 19 of the gasometer-tank.

23 designates a vertical gas-receiving pipe mounted on the cross-partition 20, having communication with the compartmentlS and extending upwardly in the Well 19 to a point above the upper end of the tank 17. Loosely mountedon the gas-receiving pipe 23, at the upper end thereof, is awater-seal member or valve 24, the interior diameter of which is greater than the outside diameter of the pipe 23, so as to provide an annular space between said pipe and water-seal member. In the water-seal member 24 at its lower end is a plurality of perforations 25. The gas produced in the generator-tankl passes therefrom through the pipe 16 into the compartment 18 in the gasometer-tank and ascends through the water therein between the Wall of said ICO tank and the vertical partition 21 and into the receiving-pipe 23 and therefrom into the water-seal member 24, in which it descends in the annular space between said water-seal member and the pipe 23 and finds escape from said water-seal member through the perforations 25 therein into the water contained by the well 19. The lower end of the waterseal member 24 occupies a position, as seen, below the level of the water in the well 19, and said water seal member is therefore constantly water-sealed and the gas escaping therefrom is required to flow gradually from the water-seal member as it passes thereinto.

26 designates an outlet-pipe having an open upper end extending above the top of the gasometer-tank 17 and leading downwardly to a branch 27, that extends to the exterior of the gasometer-tank for the delivery of the gas that has been conducted into the gasometertank.

28 is a lever pivoted to the outlet-pipe 26 and provided with a yoke 29, that is pivoted to the water-seal member 24:.

31 is a vertical sleeve carried by the bell 22. The sleeve 31 surrounds and plays upon a vertical guide-rod 33, that extends through the gasometer and directs the movement of said sleeve 31 and the bell by which it is carried. The sleeve 31 is provided with a rim 32, that is adapted to engage the extensionarm of the pivoted lever 28.

When in the operation of the apparatus the gas-pressure within the bell 22 is depleted or diminished a sufficient extent to permit the descent of the bell to its lowest position, the rim 32, carried by the sleeve 31, moves into contact with the arm 30 of the lever 28,

thereby causing the water-seal member 24. to be elevated on the gas-receivin g pipe 23, with the result that the lower end of the waterseal member is raised in the water in the well 19, and the degree of water-seal of said capsleeve is reduced so that the gas escapes more readily therefrom and enters the bell more readily than it does when the member is in its lowermost position. As the gas enters the gasometer the bell rises, with the consequent result that the pressure in the generatingchamber 2 is decreased, and less gas enters the diaphragm-housing 12 to exert pressure against the diaphragm 11 to hold the feedvalve 6 closed. On the decrease of gas-pressure against the diaphragm 11 the spring let acts to move the valve-rod 10 and partially open the feed-valve 6 and permit the escape of the carbid from the holder 4 into the gencrating-tank to add to the supply of gas in said tank. As the supply of gas passes into the gasometer the volume of gas within the gasometer-bell becomes greater and said bell is elevated, so as to lift the rim 32 from engagement with the arm of the lever 28, and the water-seal member 24: is permitted to return to its lowered position, thereby checking the flow of gas into the bell and as a consequence causing the maintenance of a higher pressure in the generatingtank and diaphragm-housin g, so that the carbid-feed valve is held closed. It will therefore be seen that the water-seal member 24 serves to control the pressure of gas in the generating-chamber, and thereby controls the pressure against the diaphragm 11 to regulate the movement of the carbid-feed valve, so that a uniform generation of gas in the apparatus is obtained and maintained according to the demand of the capacity of the apparatus.

34 designates a blow-off pipe that is mounted on the cross-partition 20 and extends vertically in the water-well 19 to a point above the water-level therein. This blow-0E pipe is surrounded by a telescoping pipe 35, carried by the bell 22 and provided near its lower end with apertures 36. When an abnormal volume of gas becomes present in the bell 22, causing said bell to be lifted until the apertures 36 in the telescoping pipe 35 are brought to the upper end of the blow-off pipe and the gas finds escape through said blow-off pipe 37 to the exterior of the apparatus, thereby relieving excess volume from the interior of the bell. The blow-off pipe 34. communicates with the water-compartment 18 at the lower end of the gasometer, thereby putting it in communication with said compartment, so that in the existence of an excess of pressure of gas in the compartment the gas blows downwardly beneath the vertical partition 21 and passesto the blow-offpipe to escape through the branch pipe 37 to the exterior of the apparatus.

38 is an inlet-pipe through which water is introduced into the compartment 18. In order to provide for the feed-valve 6 being held in a closed position during the period of filling the carbid-holder 4, I form notches 10 in the valve-rod 10 exterior of the diaphragm-housing 12, that are adapted to receive a retainer or clip 39, (see Fig. IV,) that fits over the valve-rod when said rod is in the position assumed at the time that the feed-valve is closed, and the retainer or clip therefore serves to hold the valve-rod from inward movement under the action of the spring 14, thereby rendering it'impossible for the feed-valve to open until the valve-rod is freed by the removal of the retainer or clip.

I claim as my invention- 1. In an acetylene-gas generator, the combination of a generator-tank, a carbid-holder, a feed-valve arranged to control the outlet from said carbid-holder, a spring-pressed diaphragm having connection. with said feedvalve and subject to pressure from the gas in said generator-tank, a gasometer arranged in communication with said generator-tank, a gas-receiving pipe in said gasometer, a waterseal member mounted on said gas-receiving pipe, a gasometer-bell and means to elevate the water-seal member 011 the descent of the bell and permit it to descend on the rise of the bell, whereby a constant gas-pressure is maintained in the bell and the gas-pressure connected to said member and a gasometerbell arranged to engage said lever on the descent of the bell and permit it to descend on the rise of the bell, whereby a constant gaspressure is maintained in the bell and the gas-pressure in the generator, by which the diaphragm is operated, varies according to the amount of gas in the bell.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 30th day of May, 1901.

ALFRED O. EINSTEIN. In presence of- E. S. KNIGHT, N. V. ALEXANDER. 

